1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to improvements in saddlery and more particularly to a stirrup having a portion formed to pivot relative to a base so as to provide an auxiliary step when pivoted to a position below the base to thereby be accessible to assist a rider in mounting a saddle and which portion further functions as a safety device providing a breakaway portion for the stirrup to permit release of a rider's foot in the event the rider falls from the saddle, thus preventing possible serious injury.
2. History of the Related Art
Conventional stirrups used with saddles are generally designed to be adjustably supported at varying vertical relationships with respect to the saddles by stirrup leathers or straps. The straps include an adjusting mechanism, such as a buckle, which allow the straps to be vertically adjusted to suit individual riders so that the stirrup is conveniently positioned for being engaged by the riders foot not only when mounting a saddle, but while riding. In some instances, however, the stirrup strap is not sufficiently adjustable to permit the stirrup to be easily accessible, especially if the mount is a large horse or the rider is an individual who cannot easily place their foot within the stirrup for purposes of mounting.
In this respect, in applicant's previous U.S. Pat. 5,809,754, an auxiliary step for a stirrup is disclosed wherein the step is pivotable relative to the base of the stirrup to provide a platform deposed below the stirrup for use in facilitating mounting. Once mounted, the auxiliary step is designed to automatically pivot upwardly so as not to obstruct the normal use of the stirrup.
A further problem often encountered with conventional stirrups is that a rider's foot may become caught or entangled within the stirrup in the event the rider falls from the saddle. Such entanglement of a rider's foot within a conventional stirrup can result in severe physical injury as the rider can be dragged for some distance.
In view of the foregoing, there remains a need to provide a stirrup which not only functions to provide an assist or auxiliary step for assisting a rider mounting a saddle but which also functions as a safety or breakaway stirrup to prevent rider injury by assuring that the rider's foot may be easily separated from the stirrup in the event of a fall. A number of patents have been directed to providing safety or breakaway stirrups, by way of example: U.S. Pat. No. 932,886 to McClure; U.S. Pat. No. 1,008,552 to Dolan et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 1,087,503 to Neidigh; U.S. Pat. No. 1,186,751 to Douthitt et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 1,480,314 to Szymanski; U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,798 to Taylor; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,413 to Bostock et al. Each of the disclosed safety stirrups has a portion designed to pivot relative to a base. In most of these patents, a side element is pivotally mounted to the remaining portion of the stirrup such that, if pressure is applied laterally relative to the base of the stirrup, an individual's foot will cause the pivotable portion of the stirrup to open thereby providing an opening through which a rider's foot may pass in the event of a fall. However, none of these patents provides a stirrup which can also be utilized as an assist step to facilitate mounting. In addition, there are features in the various prior art structures which are not desirable for the anticipated use as safety stirrups because the elements which are pivoting to allow an opening in the stirrup may themselves become obstructions thus possibly resulting in rider injury even though a portion of the stirrup opens to potentially release a rider's foot.
In view of the foregoing, there remains a need to provide a safety stirrup having portions which pivot away in the event a rider should fall from a saddle thereby releasing the riders foot and which also provides an auxiliary assist step to facilitate mounting.